


Something about the fire

by VileVenom



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Cecil is Inhuman, Gen, Inspired By Tumblr, Inspired by Art, M/M, specifically he's a dragon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2013-11-20
Packaged: 2018-01-02 01:50:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1051130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VileVenom/pseuds/VileVenom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time, a long long time ago, there was a young boy who never thought his life would take such an unexpected turn.</p><p>Medieval AU</p><p>Semi-disjointed chapters, revolving around young Carlos the apothecary/alchemist and his somewhat odd relationship with a dragon named Cecil.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is wholly inspired by Dualscar's headcanon of Dragon!Cecil, and a livestream I attended by Goddess-in-Green, both on tumblr.
> 
> If you want to check out the doodles, there here:  
> http://goddess-in-green.tumblr.com/post/67452793160/the-products-of-a-lively-and-fruitful-livestream
> 
> ...  
> I have such a soft spot for dragons, it's ridiculous.

Carlos coughed, waving his hands in front of his face to try and clear some of the smoke from his face as he stumbled away from the shattered remains of the glassware he’d been working with. His master was going to be livid with him when he finally ventured back to the village. Of course, if he could just calculate the appropriate chemical composition he needed for his alchemy, he wouldn’t keep blowing up glassware. Hence, it was really all his master’s fault he was blowing things up to begin with. If his master would just let him look at the books he kept locked up…

Carlos sighed, glad that at least this time he’d been aware enough of the possible outcomes of his experiment to take his potions and notebooks out to an abandoned field a short ways away from his village. This time no one was direct witness to his failure. Or injured, for that matter. Though, he might have a bit of the smoke clinging to the inside of his lungs, but that wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix with a cleansing potion, so no harm, no foul.

He sighed, about to move to gather up his scattered supplies, when he was pulled from his thoughts by the wind around him suddenly picking up, tossing his hair in every direction. He gasped, coughing as smoke was blown in his direction, causing him to have to move farther away from his equipment, rather than towards it.

When the wind finally settled, and Carlos could look up without getting dirt or smoke in his face for his efforts, he couldn’t help the squeak of fear that escaped him. A dragon, a real life, purple and opalescent dragon was standing in the field, poking at his equipment with a ridiculously long, terrifyingly sharp claw.

And it was lifting its head to stare at Carlos.

Carlos froze, breath coming in quick, sharp intakes, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He’d heard so many stories about dragons. Wild ones, not those who’d been born and raised by tamers. They were supposed to be vicious, cruel, and greedy. It was said they killed without reason, and stole whatever they pleased. After all, what is a mere mortal man to a dragon? Not but a pathetic insect.

He feared this would be the end of him. Especially as the dragon slowly began to move towards him, it’s large iridescent eyes peering down at him, pining him to the spot.

"Please," he whispered, unaware he was even speaking, "Don’t kill me."

The dragon paused, tilting its massive head to the side, regarding Carlos with what appeared to be cool indifference. Mind, it was rather difficult to determine a dragons true expression, thanks to scales, and an overall lack of emotive muscles.

"Kill you?" the dragon rumbled in a deep, sonorous voice that made Carlos gasp in surprise. Dragons so very rarely spoke to humans, and typically when they did, it was not for conversation, but demands. Often in loud, bellowing tones, and often right before they ate a person. Or at least, that’s what he’d been told. "Why would I want to kill you?"

Carlos swallowed thickly, lifting a shaking hand to wipe the tears from his cheeks, in hopes of saving a little face in front of this terrifying creature. “B-because you are a dragon?” he hazarded to offer, “And…don’t dragons eat people?”

The dragon sat back on its hind quarters, snorting out a puff of smoke, almost as though it was laughing. “I most certainly don’t,” the dragon spoke, curling its lengthy tail around its leg, “too many bones, and not enough meat. Cows, though? Now those make a tasty treat.”

Carlos felt his shoulders sag slightly in relief, before tensing back up as the dragon stood back up and lumbered over to where he stood, blowing a smoke ring around his head, which made him cough and tear up once more.

"However," the dragon rumbled, making Carlos quake, "I am curious as to why you sent up a distress smoke signal. I am not above harming those who might trick a dragon into answering a fake call. I have lost too many friends to such tawdry tactics."

Carlos shook, fresh tears springing to his eyes, though he did his best to hold them at bay. “Please,” he all but begged, holding his hands out to show he held no weapon, “It was an honest mistake. I did not mean to summon anyone, let alone send up some sort of false signal. I was experimenting with some herbs and chemicals, and the ensuing explosion caused the smoke you saw. I meant, and mean, no harm.”

The dragon peered at him for a long moment, obviously judging his words, before nodding to itself and stepping back, sitting and curling its tail once more. “You seem to have a true heart,” it said, nodding a little.

Carlos sighed happily, collapsing onto his knees in relief that he wasn’t going to be eaten. Or at least, not for the moment, which was good enough at the moment. A quiet laugh bubbled up from his throat, unbidden and unwanted, as he wiped his face clean once more, drawing the dragons curiosity.

"Laughter and tears? You certainly are an odd one," the dragon said, moving to lay down, crossing its front legs over one another and watching Carlos with amusement. "Were you frightened?"

Carlos snorted quietly, raking his fingers through his hair. “You’re a dragon,” he stated bluntly, his body still shaking slightly from nerves, “How does one keep fear at bay from a dragon? I thought you were going to eat me.”

The dragon snorted out a puff of smoke again, which preceded an odd rumbling noise coming from the dragons throat. Carlos figured it had to be laughter. “You would have to ask a tamer that,” the dragon mused, reaching out towards Carlos. The boy froze, flinching slightly as the curve of once of the dragons’ talons touched his chin, before moving up, wiping away a trail of tears.

"There now," the dragon hummed pleasantly, while Carlos blinked up at it in surprise, "Stop your crying. I’m nothing to be frightened of. You are too pretty a human to be drowning yourself in tears."

Carlos stared up in the dragon, a look of utter bewilderment on his face. “Pretty?” he echoed, baffled.

The dragon laughed again, shaking its massive head. “You humans,” it rumbled, setting its head down on its legs, tail swishing back and forth lazily behind its body. “Yes. Pretty.”

Carlos flushed, trying and failing to fight a grin that was slowly spreading across his face. A dragon. He was talking to an actual dragon! Who thought he was pretty! It was so ridiculous, he was beginning to debate as to whether he really was dead or not.

"That’s an awfully generous complement, coming from a dragon," Carlos mused, shifting to sit cross legged in front of the beast.

"Oh? And why is that?" the dragon hummed, blinking its large eyes at Carlos.

"Because," the boy said, waving at the dragons body in general, "your scales are beautiful. The ones that are purple are marvelously shiny, and the others, so dark, yet sparkling with little flecks of light, they look like the stars in the sky. And you have eyes that never seem to stop changing colour. Not to mention your wings, or spines. Just…you’re marvelous."

The dragon blew out a stream of smoke, making Carlos duck and squawk, holding his arms above his head, while the dragon covered its face with its front feet.

Carlos coughed and sputtered for a moment, waiting until the smoke cleared to offer the suddenly bashful dragon a smile. “It’s true,” he stated, shrugging a little.

"Flattery," the dragon mused, dropping its feet to the ground, "it will get you everywhere."

Carlos simply smirked, lifting a hand and chuckling as the dragon nudged its snout into his palm.

"My name is Carlos," Carlos offered, rubbing his thumb absently over the scales of the dragons snout.

"Cecil," was all the dragon replied.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A second meeting, and a rather interesting discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally wrote this directly after the first chapter.
> 
> I wanted to write a third one as well, but it was too early in the morning for such endeavors.
> 
> P.S-I almost forgot. This is the first time (I think) that I've ever given Cecil a any type of physical description outside of having purple eyes. That is because I am using Goddess-in-Green's headcanon for Cecil, since I got the idea for this AU from their live stream.

Carlos cursed quietly to himself, dipping his quill into an old ink pot he’d managed to snag from his masters shop without being detected, before scribbling out a line he’d only just written in his notebook. “No! That’s what exploded that LAST time,” he grumbled, writing something below the black smudge of wet ink now adorning the page of his notebook, a sigh departing from his lips.

"What are you grumbling about?" a familiar voice echoed through the small secluded area Carlos had found for himself, a fair distance away from his village. He’d requested Cecil meet him there after their first eventful meeting. The dragon had been rather jovial and friendly after Carlos’ initial terror had worn off, and they’d become fast friends. It turned out that in dragon years, Cecil was actually quite close to Carlos in age, which had made the apprentice curious about other aspects of his new companion. However, the setting sun did not care for his curiosity, and he had had to bid farewell to his new friend.

Hence, the second meeting.

Carlos turned with a smile, expecting a sleek purple dragon, and instead found a rather flouncy looking young man around his own age, wearing billowy cloaks of purple and silver.

"I-oh," Carlos said, cheeks flushing as he set aside his notebook, not wanting to shut it and smear the still wet ink, but not wanting this new comer to see his work, "Nothing. At all. Uhm…Are you, perhaps, lost? Do you need help finding your way somewhere?"

The man laughed, covering his mouth with a hand, before swooping over to perch next to Carlos on the rock he’d chosen to seat himself on earlier. “Not unless you suddenly wish for our meeting to be over? You did ask me here, after all,” the man said, realization suddenly dawning on Carlos.

"Cecil?!" he gaped, sitting back to get a better look at the other. And there, in the small details, he saw the dragon Cecil was hiding beneath human looking skin. His eyes kept shifting colour, changing every time he looked, and hidden in the weave of the others braid, small shimmers reflecting light like his scales. The true give away, though, was the odd rune-looking mark that was half hidden by hair on the other’s forehead, which looked much like the jewel that rested on his head in his true form.

"You…you look-" Carlos began, lost for words as he regarded his friend.

"Odd? Yes, I know," Cecil mused, picking at the sleeves of his shirt. "But, this form is much easier to get around in, if I’m to be close to where humans live. Your own reaction is a good example as to why I hide."

Carlos nodded, still a bit dumbstruck, though he easily bounced back, smiling widely as he scooped his notebook up from the ground where he’d set it previously.

"So, it’s true, then?!" he asked excitedly, wetting the tip of his quill with ink, and poising it over the paper, "That dragons can change shape, if they wish?"

Cecil smiled indulgently at Carlos, nodding minutely. “Yes. Not all of us, but most of us can. Those raised in captivity never learn. It’s a trait guarded fiercely by those of us in the wild. If humans knew, it would be that much harder for us. They already hunt witches. Could you imagine if they knew dragons wandered around, vulnerable like this? There wouldn’t be a single one of us left.”

Carlos began to write in his notebook, pausing half way through a sentence to look up at Cecil with an expression of worry on his face. “So,” he murmured, swallowing thickly, “Why are you letting me in on the secret?” The sudden, horrible thought of Cecil killing him after this meeting struck him, and he tensed up, ink dripping onto his page from his poised quill.

Cecil quietly clicked his tongue, wrapping gentle fingers around Carlos’ tense hand, stroking over the apprentices’ knuckles and carefully taking his quill from him. “Because, Carlos,” the dragon hummed, reaching up to pet Carlos’ hair, which seemed to calm the human down, “I told you. You have a true heart. And with that, a caring soul. I know I can trust you with this secret. Besides. There are already rumors among the humans. I don’t feel like telling you puts me in jeopardy.” Cecil sighed quietly, smiling sadly at the other. “I do wish you’d stop being so afraid of me. I really don’t mean you any harm.”

"I apologize," Carlos murmured, letting his muscles slowly uncoil from their tensed positions, "I can’t help it. It’s been ingrained in me since I was small to be fearful of that which I cannot understand. And dragons, well," he laughed quietly, peering up at Cecil with a lopsided grin, "There is little to be known about them that is not rumor or suspicion. And I am afraid I cannot see into others souls, like you seemingly can."

Cecil hummed in assent, nodding minutely. “You have a point,” he mused, releasing Carlos’ hand and placing twining his fingers together in his lap. “But…Trust me, please. I will not harm you.”

Carlos sighed, covering Cecil’s hands with one of his own. “I believe you.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Combusting plants, never ending amounts of smoke, and a ride Carlos will not soon forget.

Carlos smirked as his master cursed, smoke filling up the small shop.

He’d warned the older man that setting the delicate little potted fraxinella plant that had been gifted to him in the window to absorb the sun, and then lighting his candle on the table next to it would be a terrible idea. The man hadn’t listened, though, of course. As he never did. He still believed Carlos to be a bumbling green horn, as he’d been when he’d first been accepted as an apprentice to the shop. But Carlos had stayed up late, reading every book he’d had access to, and he was fairly certain his own abilities far outstripped his masters. Especially given his budding grasp on proper alchemy.

"Boy! Don’t just stand there and gawk, open the windows!" his master shouted, dumping a container of water over the flaming plant, creating even more smoke in the cramped shop.

"Yes, sir," Carlos snorted, rolling his eyes as he set to unlatching and throwing open every window he could, waving to a passerby through one as they stared openly at the pillars of smoke rising up into the air.

It was a shame, really. Carlos could have done so much more with the shop, if only his master would step aside already.

"Good afternoon."

Carlos jerked, his elbow slipping from where he’d rested it on the windowsill to stare up at the smokey sky above. He very nearly fell right out when he found Cecil in his human form was the origin of the friendly greeting, grinning up at him happily.

"Cecil!" Carlos gasped, glancing behind him to make sure his master was still busy trying to figure out how to save his combustible plant, "What are you doing here?"

Cecil shrugged, gesturing towards the smoke still seeping out of every opening in the shop. “I spotted it while on my way home. It’s not any sort of proper signal, and the colour is too dark, but I figured I may as well check it out, anyway. Go figure you’d be the source, yet again.”

Carlos’ cheeks flushed at Cecil’s teasing tone, snorting quietly. “It wasn’t me this time,” he stated, making a quick criss-cross over his heart, “My, uh, well, my master set his fraxinella on fire. I guess he didn’t know they produce a flammable vapor when warm. He lit a candle next to it after it’d been sitting in the sun nearly all day.”

Cecil laughed, covering his mouth with a hand. “Well…Since you appear to be smoked out for the rest of the evening, are you free to join me?” he asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.

Carlos glanced behind him, smiling faintly when he noticed that his master had finally put the flower out, but the poor thing was beyond redemption. “I’ll have to check,” he replied, turning back to Cecil, “Where did you want me to accompany you?”

"It’s a surprise," Cecil hummed, nodding for Carlos to go and see if he was free to go.

~

Cecil looped his arm through Carlos’ once the apprentice joined him out on the street, giggling lightly as he gently patted the arm he was holding onto, watching tiny puffs of ash and soot fall free of Carlos’ clothes.

"Yes, yes," the human snorted, rolling his eyes and letting Cecil half drag him out of town, "I am a filthy slob. It’s not my fault, though. The ceiling of the shop is now coated in black soot and ashes. I’m lucky I didn’t come out completely covered from head to toe."

"Don’t worry," Cecil hummed, ruffling Carlos’ hair to try and rid it of some of the dirt clinging to the strands, "It’s easy enough to wash away. At least you don’t smell like a fireplace. Just sort of…musty."

"Oh, like you would even be able to tell," Carlos scoffed, shoving Cecil playfully, "you’re a dragon. Everything around you probably smells like burnt all the time."

Cecil glanced around quickly at Carlos’ flippant comment, causing the human to cover his mouth with an apologetic glance.

"I’m so sorry," he whined, tugging at his hair, "That was-I’m sorry."

"It’s fine," Cecil soothed, petting Carlos’ arm. "There’s really no one around. I doubt anyone heard you. Fret not."

"I’m still sorry," Carlos muttered, ducking his head slightly as he continued to walk with Cecil, their previous friendly banter silenced.

"Anyway," Cecil finally spoke as they began to walk through farmers fields at the edge of town, "I wanted to show you something."

"Oh?" Carlos queried, pulling himself from his morose thoughts to give Cecil a questioning glance.

The other simply grinned at him, before yanking him into a run, heading towards the woods they’d held their second meeting at.

"Stand back," Cecil commanded once they were well hidden by foliage, his cloaks rippling around his form.

Carlos did as he was bid, scurrying back as Cecil’s form seemed to shift and blend with the billowy material of the robes, his mouth wide in wonder as he took in the sight of Cecil taking his true form.

"Mmm," Cecil grumbled, stretching his legs out once he’d finished shifting, tail wiping happily behind him and very nearly taking out a row of bushes, "Always a bit stiff after becoming human."

Carlos stepped forward, still in awe, even as Cecil nudged his hand with his snout. “Sorry,” he muttered, shaking his head as he stroked his hand along the smooth scales of Cecil’s head, “Still a little dumbstruck by this whole thing.”

Cecil laughed in that odd way dragons seemed to do, Carlos being mindful to step away from the puff of smoke that Cecil snorted out. “You’ll get over it,” the dragon teased, settling on his belly against the forest floor.

"I doubt that," Carlos scoffed, curious fingers trailing lightly along one of Cecil’s long horns. "Ah! But, uhm, what did you want to show me?" he inquired, enamored with simply getting to touch Cecil, though still curious about what more the other could possibly have to show him.

"Well," Cecil hummed, tipping his head to peer at Carlos with one large eye, "How do you feel about heights?"

~

Carlos screamed.

The take off hadn’t been that bad, really. Cecil lumbered to a clearing near the center of the woods, and Carlos scrambled up onto his back, sitting between a couple of spines, and clinging to the one in front of him for dear life as Cecil beat his wings a few times to gain lift off.

No, it was the dragons insistence on doing barrel rolls and flying in large sweeping loops that made Carlos scream like a small child.

"Calm down," Cecil called back over the din of wind rushing past Carlos’ ears, "Even if you fell, I’d catch you."

"That’s not going to save me from heart failure," Carlos shouted indignantly back, letting out another peel of hysterical shouting as Cecil spun lazily through the air, and dove through a cloud.

"Cecil, please!" Carlos’ voice was hoarse from shouting, his knuckles white from how tight he was gripping onto the dragons spines.

"Spoil sport," was all Cecil had to say in retaliation, beginning a slow decent back towards the ground.

Carlos could honestly say that he’d never been more happy to have his feet back on the ground as his knees gave way once he was off of Cecil’s back.

"It wasn’t really that bad, was it?" Cecil rumbled, sauntering over to Carlos and laying down, curling his tail around the shaking human protectively.

"It-it was terrifying," Carlos managed to say, throat sore. He leaned to the side, resting against Cecil’s flank.

"I take it that means you don’t want to go back up?" Cecil mused, sounding somewhat disappointed.

"I didn’t way that," Carlos hummed after a few minutes of contemplation. "Maybe…less somersaults? I don’t like feeling like I’m going to drop like a rock out of the sky."

"Can do," Cecil brightly replied, dipping his head to nuzzle his snout against Carlos’ chest.


End file.
